This is my first post here.
Have just got a DB60XG from doublefish, there was an issue but it was sorted out quickly, great ebayer, buy with confidence etc.

Have seen several projects about using this board as a stand alone synth, which is what I want to do, but where to start?
Would I be correct in thinking that the PCBs earlier in this thread will work for the DB60XG? And "all" that is required is to send some sysex messages and from then on regular program change?

does the DB60XG require a sysex message before any sound can be produced?

Yes and No. Without it, it will fire up as a GM module. If you send the XG sysex message, it will become XG compatible. I'm not sure what that message is, but I believe someone in this forum posted it. The message can be sent by a sequencer or some of the newer controllers will allow it._________________Synth DIY since 1977!

Thanks for the replies chaps, am pleased to report that the heatsink on the 7805 worked and have been messing about with the voices etc.

The QS3000 voice thing is now puzzling me, tried using XG Gold but it doesn't seem to upload anything, does this only work in a registered version?
Is there any other way to load those QVB files?
Once loaded do these sounds remain on board or do they have to be uploaded every time?

Well thats not quite right, I rewired it as I wanted to add it into a set up, now I only get audio output when I touch any analogue ground, obviously this is a grounding issue, but anyone got any suggestions how to cure this?

Ah no, these are no drill holes. Had the same idea at first but then decided that I was never able to get a nice grille this way. I took a piece of a plastic to protect the drip rail from leaves (http://img.westfalia.de/media/show_image.php?datei_id=687) , sprayed it black and glued it in from the inside. You can still do it that way, just cut out the area with a knife and rasp the edge clean.

Actually, looking at your mains PSU in a bit more detail, have you got any insulation between the Veroboard and the perforated sheet?

It looks like you have connected live mains via a switch and fuse to the input of the PCB mounted transformer on the Veroboard. This means there are some Veroboard tracks at mains potential very close to the open mesh. If you are unlucky enough to put the module down on something metallic with something that can just stick up through the grill (such as studs on the back of a panel, or a spiky heatsink), you have a reasonable chance of making this metal live to the mains.

Always treat mains power with the respect that you would treat anything that could kill you. You would want some protection between a Lion and you in a Zoo, do the same between mains electricity and Murphy's Law.

If you have a clear insulator in there, fine - but it's better to be safer than sorry, hence my query.

I see you used one of those small transformers. Can you give some information of how you did that and if it gives enough power for the whole thing?

Yes, I used a transformer with two secondary windings. They each output 9V with 2.5VA. As this wouldn't be enough, I connected the two windings and use them in series - to get approx. 18V.
As you can see in img_6792.jpg, the transformer has outputs on pins 6+7 and 9+10. On page 9 of this thread in Waveblaster-Midi-Layout.pdf you can see, that I short connected pin 7 and 9. This way I get 18V on pin 6 and 10 and GND on pin 7+9 (grey circuit paths). The output of pin 6 and 10 are routed to a bridge rectifier.
As the draw on +5V is the highest and as I get +5V from the +12V, the 7812 and 7805 get a little hot without heat sink. So I added one to each - although it got a bit cramped in that area. All other parts, even the transformator, remain quite cool.

magman wrote:

Actually, looking at your mains PSU in a bit more detail, have you got any insulation between the Veroboard and the perforated sheet?

Oops, you're absolutely right! I only insulated the top parts but not the underside of the board. Luckily the output of the fuse and the input of the transformer are a bit away from the opening - but the input of the fuse is visible. I will insulate everything though. Thanks a lot for the hint!
At first I had no grille there and the liberaly cut out parts in the circuit path would have been enough to prevent unwanted high voltage on other paths. But when I cut out the 2nd hole on the underside, I didn't think about it anymore.

I just got my DB60XG from double-fish1981! Unfortunately, it appeared to have got a rough treatment during transport: several SMD electrolytic capacitors are damaged, and one is partially and another one completely torn off. I guess that they are decoupling capacitors -- the meat of the beast being in the ICs -- so the board might just work without them.

Perhaps I could solder on ordinary electrolytic capacitors, and then lay them flat on the board, but I like things neat and tidy. So I ordered SMD ones and then cross my fingers that the rest of the board didn't suffer too much.

Even though a dollar isn't what it used to be, 25 of them are still roughly $25 after all, aren't they.

Hi! Just a quick question. I have all the parts needed for the project, but I couldn't find the 74ls00. I just assumed it would work with a CMOS 4093 nand gate. I haven't started yet, but it would be nice to know if my idea is correct. What do you think guys?

Well, it's not working for me; but as I said, I'm using a 4093 nand gate; I think everything else is fine so, before assuming my board is faulty, I would like to know if this is supposed to work with cmos gates instead of ttl. Any ideas concerning this??

The 4093 is not actually a NAND gate but a NAND Schmitt Trigger. Could that be the problem? I'm not too proficient in electronics, so I couldn't tell (that's why I usually follow instructions to the letter )

I was wondering if anyone has good results with the licensed XG Gold software and Yamaha DB60XG card for the "hidden" QS300 patches that use 3 and 4 element voicings?

The unlicensed XG Gold only supports 1 or 2 element voicings.

I configure the DB60XG for a 3 or 4 element patch, click the QS editor, and reduce the volume on elements 1 and 2, and get no sound. I would expect to hear something with elements 3 and 4 levels turned up.

Maybe I need to take this up with the XG Gold author as a next step, but wanted to make sure someone else has this already working on a DB60XG (or DB50XG).

1) XG Gold must have TC (transmit as controller) button DESELECTED. The 'hidden' QS300 voices must use Sysex messages instead of CC (controller) messages with 3/4 element voices to set volume and other parameters.

2) I was routing the XG Gold through MIDI-OX with small Sysex buffer (256 bytes) which also seems to cause problems. When I ran XG Gold direct to the DB60XG it works fine. Later in MIDI-OX, I enlarged to 512 byte Sysex buffers and decreased the Sysex message latency which seems to work for me.

Sorry for infusing new life in an old thread. I wish I could do that with a DB60XG clone (NEC XR385) that stopped working after I left it sitting around for a year or so.

When I ordered it, I had to replace 2 of the 10uF capacitors, because they were ripped off during transport. After that, it worked perfectly. I could play the GM voices and even verify that I could upload and play QS300 voices. The circuit I use to attach the board to is a blend of various designs here on this thread.

I went on to implement a PSR-type style player, which took a while (always does...) and when I wanted to test an early version of it. The board was completely silent. It appears the the audio output is zero.

I have a second board where I can hear "something" through the intense crackling noise when I play it using a MIDI keyboard, suggesting that the circuits leading to (MIDI/power) and from the board (audio amp using a TL072) are somewhat OK.

I wonder if anyone could hint at what might be the problem (no sound on one board, crackling on the other). I checked voltages as far as I know where to look, and so far it looks good. Of course I can't fix/replace any of the ICs, but I might go ahead and replace all the electrolytic capacitors (some of which have dents), if that makes any sense at all.

Any ideas as to what I -- a borderline dilettante -- might check are most welcome!

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